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Night Rider Peak

After a very long day the day before, we were up and at it again by 06:30 at our improvised camp along Job Creek on Sunday, the first day of September. I wasn’t sure I’d be feeling it this morning, but happily I most certainly was! We slowly got ready and abandoned camp, leaving the tents up to dry while we were gone. This would be our longest side trip at over 15 kms and an unknown route that we weren’t at all sure of. In the end, we couldn’t believe how easy the south ridge turned out to be, considering how it looked on the satellite maps. Views to Cloud Buster and Dark Storm over lush valleys and unnamed tarns were brilliant in the late summer sun and clear blue skies. Winds were light as we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

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First Range / Hike / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Job Lake Excursions (Coral Creek, Job Pass)

Situated in between the White Goat Wilderness and the Upper Clearwater / Ram PLUZ the Job / Cline PLUZ reflects both of these remote wilderness landscapes. Just as in the Ram and Clearwater area, it takes a little extra endurance and perseverance to penetrate the prime areas. Just as in the White Goat Wilderness, it takes off trail adventuring and hardy legs to take in the wildest views. There are sublime, peaceful alpine meadows and brilliant, shimmering lakes and tarns tucked into almost every valley and canyon you pass. This is a landscape that belongs to powerful grizzlies, agile mountain goats and soaring eagles. You feel small as you cross its powerful streams dozens of times. Huge stone walls gaze sternly down on you as you shuffle underneath them. Clouds race overhead as waterfalls gush down sheer cliffs on all sides. Even wildfires are untamed here – allowed and even encouraged to burn unhindered when they flare. Despite the obvious presence of humankind, this is a land that you feel privileged to experience, not entitled to.

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Backpack / Camp / First Range / Hike / Scramble / Trip Report 0

North Highwood Peak (+ Mist Hills)

What a great day this turned out to be! Despite going in with very low expectations of endless rubble slopes, I got trails, flowers, creeks and very pleasant and efficient ascent slabs. Ending the day with a traverse over the Mist Hills only made things even better. A highly recommended outing for scramblers looking for something a little off the beaten trail – but still on a surprising number of them.

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Highwood Range / Scramble / Trip Report 2

Pushover, Mount

What can I say in conclusion about this trip? It had a bit of everything. Disappointment with a cloudy start. Slowly ramping up the positive vibes as the sky cleared and the trail wound its familiar way to a lovely alpine landscape of lakes, rushing streams and acres of colorful wildflowers. Apprehension mixed with excitement as I picked my way up an unfamiliar and unknown route, experiencing all the highs and lows that comes with such adventures. One minute thinking it all looked very reasonable and the next thinking that all was lost. Walking to the summit under a brilliant blue summer sky with views to familiar peaks, lakes and valleys and knowing that once again the Rockies had provided a sneaky, but reasonable scramble route up a challenging peak. A relaxing exit through gorgeous landscapes with a feeling of success. It doesn’t get much better than this my friends, and I am grateful that I still get to experience these moments.

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Alpine Climb / Joffre Group / Scramble / Trip Report 1

Pulpit Peak

After years of planning a late summer ascent of Pulpit Peak, I slowly switched my plans to a winter ascent instead. On March 24, 2024 Wietse and I managed to make this happen on a glorious bluebird spring day in the Rockies.

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Ski / Trip Report / Waputik Range 0

Zeke’s & Whistling Rock Peak (Schiesser’s Apex)

Doug Lutz recently scrambled the entire north ridge of Whistling Rock Peak and reported back a straightforward descent down west slabs to valley bottom. I knew I had to give that route a try since there was no way I was going to follow him all the way along that north ridge. Since Zeke’s Peak is right there it made sense to combine them. Devan Peterson put up a track for Zeke’s on Strava and confirmed it was F 3rd but quite exposed. I was intrigued and excited to try them sooner than later. I strongly recommend this trip for confident scramblers with a good head for heights and exposure and sure footing. Try to pick a warm, windless day and enjoy the fun routes and great views.

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Bike / Scramble / Spray Mountains / Trip Report 0

Trekking along McConnell & Roaring Creeks

This trip lived up to everything I thought it would be. A fantastic backcountry adventure in pristine landscapes, exploring some of the last remaining untouched and largely untraveled wilderness along massive Cambrian Cliffs of the Alberta Rockies along the source streams of two of Banff National Park’s major drainages – the Red Deer River (McConnell Creek) and the Clearwater River (Roaring Creek). Thanks as usual to Dr. Phil, the trip planning guru and to me the routefinding drill master dragging us up peaks along the way. As long as our bodies and life allows, I’m sure we’ll continue to stumble and bumble our way into new corners (for us) of the Rockies somewhere or another – as rare as those corners seem to be getting.

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Backpack / Bike / Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Wardle, Mount (Fuhrer Route)

What a great little scramble! Mount Wardle felt much easier than I expected but not in a bad way. The views off the south ridge were incredible and don’t get mentioned (or seen) in trips up the bushier SW ridge. I highly recommend this mountain and this route if you are a capable Rockies scrambler. If you are looking to up your game from moderate to difficult terrain with some route finding, this would be a great objective to try. Exposed, but not too difficult and you should never feel like you’re in danger of dying with a tiny slip – you’re off route if that happens.

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Hike / Scramble / Trip Report / Vermillion Range 0

Cuthead Peak

Cuthead Peak was a very good outing for many reasons. The campout with a cheery fire and good company, getting out on another obscure peak with Phil and fun, challenging scrambling on the summit block. There are very few reasons why any hardcore Rockies scrambler / backpacker shouldn’t have this one on their list.

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Backpack / Bike / Rockies / Scramble / Trip Report / Vermillion Range 0

Skye Peak (Beauty Creek, Wilcox Lake)

A whopping 9.5 hours later we finally reached hwy #93 and hiked the last 500 meters to an extremely busy Tangle Falls parking lot. There is no way it should take this long for us but we were obviously tired after a massive effort the day before and ended up choosing a pretty silly route. Skye Peak itself is well worth a trip, but learn from our experience and simply ascend south slopes directly from Wilcox Lake or traverse the NW ridge from Tangle Pass if you’d rather do a loop. The views from the summit and south ridge are unique with the hidden Sinkhole Lake and Wilcox Lake visible. This area would make for a stunning fall hike IMHO.

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Scramble / Sunwapta Group / Trip Report 7

Struan, Wurzburg & Andover (Beauty Creek)

On July 27, 1893 while scouting a new pass to the Athabasca, Rockies explorer Arthur P. Coleman and his brother Lucius, joined by Louis B. Stewart ascended an unnamed peak over 3100 meters rising over the headwaters of Beauty Creek. If one of Canada’s earliest and most prolific Rockies explorer – who traversed these mountains before trains made the whole thing much easier – says a peak as one of the “finest panoramas in the Rockies”, you should probably sit up and take notice. The problem is – what peak is Coleman referring to exactly and how the heck could I get there?! Good questions. I have a source that claims this peak is sitting at GR870–936 and bivouac labels it as “Andover Peak”, named after the town in Massachusetts where another early Rockies explorer, Walter Wilcox received his education. Reading Coleman’s description of the ascent from a camp near the headwaters of the Brazeau River I can’t say for 100% that this is the peak he and his party ascended on that snowy July in 1893 but after standing on its summit I can assure you that it does, indeed, sport one heckuva fine panorama! But of course, I’m once again getting way ahead of myself.

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Scramble / Sunwapta Group / Trip Report 1

Elch Peak (Stud, GR851-335)

Descending the braided horse trails down the Ya Ha Tinda meadows in late afternoon lighting brought back many pleasant memories from this special area of the front range Rockies. Every time I think I’m almost finished with it, the landscape drags me back out! I don’t mind. There are certainly worse places to return to and worse memories than these stored in my old noggin. As I followed a horse wagon back along an incredibly dusty Tinda road my thoughts turned to how much more popular this area is now than it was when I first started visiting it almost a decade ago in November 2014. It hasn’t gotten less beautiful as a result – thankfully – but finding a summit as quiet as Elch has certainly gotten harder. I highly recommend combining Elch and HH89 with a camp in upper Scalp Creek. The only downside of this idea is that you will not get to walk the shores of Forbidden Lake like I did, unless you do a much longer loop back along Forbidden and Skeleton Creek to exit.

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Bike / Clearwater Ranges / Scramble / Trip Report 1

“HH89” (Totem, GR831-380) Peak

The first thing I noticed while standing on the 2904m summit of the remote and rarely ascended Forbidden Peak was its loftier neighbor lying immediately to the SE. What was this larger unnamed peak and could I ascend it? For some reason the idea obsessed me and for the next week I did some research to find out more. Bivouac gives it a very technical and drab sounding moniker, “HH89” or it could be known by its coordinates, “GR831380”. It turns out someone else named it too, but I wouldn’t find that out until later. I thought the Bivouac name actually suited this peak just perfectly. It’s obscure and meaningless except to the half-dozen or so folks who might know about it.

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Bike / Clearwater Ranges / Scramble / Trip Report 4

Forbidden Peak

I couldn’t believe I was standing on top of Forbidden Peak – only 7 hours from the truck! Phil’s ascent line couldn’t have worked better, making this peak surprisingly accessible considering how darn remote it is. Thx again Phil! I owe you man.

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Bike / Camp / Clearwater Ranges / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Barrier to Gable Mountain Traverse

What a day! I can’t think of a more appropriate or better way to end the main 2022 summer season. This trip has it all and requires the exact set of circumstances that we used to complete it. A very highly recommended trip for parties that can move quickly through typical Rockies terrain with a light pack. Just make sure you’re well-hydrated before leaving that valley floor towards Barrier Mountain!

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Bike / Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Scramble / Trip Report 5

Cheshire & Dormouse Peak

A rare ascent of a little known, very remote peak named for the Alice in Wonderland theme of the area – Cheshire Peak. A gorgeous approach, sneaky difficult step and hiking at over 3000 meters with views of the most remote and hard to access east faces in Banff National Park make this a highlight day in the mountains in 2022 for me. Dormouse Peak felt like a pretty simple add-on after all that.

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Backpack / Bike / Camp / Nordegg / Ram River / Ram Range / Scramble / Trip Report 1

Exploring the Upper Ram River

What can I say about this 3-day trip? I am so lucky to enjoy trips like this in these pristine areas of the Alberta Rockies. Yes, this is an OHV and horse traffic area but once you get off the main drags and into the back valleys this is as pristine a landscape as you’re going to find pretty much anywhere on earth. I will not soon forget walking through alpine meadows at sunrise or under soaring rock gates straight out of a LOTR movie. This is the kind of country that sits deep down in your soul and refuses to leave once you’ve experienced it.

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Backpack / Bike / Hike / Ram Range / Scramble / Trip Report 3

Oval Peak

Oval Peak was a quick and easy 5th summit from the north shoulder as Sara and I passed by it on route to the Brazeau River and the South Boundary Trail far below. Views of Afternoon Peak’s north face and over the meadows towards Mount McDonald, Frances and Lonely Peak make this peak a worthwhile objective if you’re in the area anyway. On its own it’s a pretty lengthy march to nowhere for a lowly summit.

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Cloister Mountains / Rockies / Scramble / Trip Report 1

McDonald, Mount

Mount McDonald is one of those peaks that once you find out about it, it grabs your attention. Or at least that’s what happened to me. I’m not even sure how or why, but I was perusing bivouac.com one day and came across Rick Collier’s photo trip report from a 2011 excursion into the area with David P. Jones. What caught my attention immediately wasn’t even the peak – it looked a little dreary and very easy. It was the large lake located south of the mountain that really got my explor8ion juices flowing and I immediately started dreaming of visiting this obviously special place at the headwaters of a pretty major drainage.

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Cloister Mountains / Rockies / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Wandering the White Goat Wilderness

In 2015 I was invited by Eric Coulthard to do a trip into an area I’d never been before – or even really heard of. He suggested we tag a couple of lofty summits in the White Goat Wilderness Area. I’d seen a few of the peaks in this area from nearby summits including Mount Stewart from Mount Coleman (the first trip I’d done with Eric way back in 2009) and Mount Willis which I’d spotted from Corona Ridge earlier in 2015. We had a fantastic trip and ever since I’ve been planning to go back.

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Backpack / Camp / Cloister Mountains / Hike / Rockies / Scramble / Trip Report 2

Wolverine Peak (Auditor)

Wolverine Peak is one of the best stiff moderates that I’ve done in the past 5 or 6 years or even longer. A wonderful, scenic approach on a good trail followed by some of the best exposed hands-on scrambling in the area should elevate this peak on any Rockies scrambler’s list.

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Scramble / Trip Report / Waputik Range 1

Bonnet & Hickson Peak

This was a trip that will not soon be forgotten for all the right reasons and a few of the ‘wrong’ ones. I suggest taking a little more time than we did to enjoy the long trek in and out and pick a season with fewer biting insects than we had at camp. Bonnet and Hickson make a wonderful duo of peaks that deserve much more attention from the summer and fall hiking and scrambling community. Get after ’em!

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Backpack / Rockies / Sawback Range / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Adventures at Trident Lake

I can’t stress enough how difficult biking up the series of OHV, horse trails and roads from Cutoff Creek up the Clearwater River is. I know everyone can do everything but this is next level suffering – especially with an overnight pack on your back. You might wonder about using paniers instead of a pack, but good luck hoisting your bike onto your shoulders with this option. Or bushwhacking. Put it this way – this trip is among the hardest on this site and there’s a few doozies available to choose from! Don’t get me wrong. The bike ride is a spectacular, wild approach along pristine valleys, soaring peaks and vast alpine meadows brimming with wildflowers. It is also, however, a tough, painful grind along rough horse trails, muddy OHV tracks and unbridged water crossings. My GoPro smoothes out the bumps but I think you can get a good sense of the effort by watching the movie I put together on our explor8ion.

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Backpack / Bike / Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Mistaya Mountain

Swooping down the Peyto Glacier with views of giant snow covered peaks – every one of them a familiar sight – I reflected how freaking lucky we are to live where we live and have the fitness and health to enjoy this sport.

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North Waputik Mountains / Ski / Trip Report 1

Turquoise Peak (Hector Lake)

It felt really good to ski out along Hector Lake in t-shirts under a blue sky with a gentle, cool breeze at our backs. I cannot stress enough how much more pleasurable this day on Hector Lake felt in comparison to my previous 5 crossings. I never felt rushed all day and the conditions were so good that I didn’t feel my usual exhaustion at the return lake crossing either. And this was all while in the middle of a 25+ hour fast too! I guess conditions really do affect mood and energy more than we think sometimes. Turquoise Peak will sit among my favorite ski tours of winter 2021/22 for a great many reasons.

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Ski / Trip Report / Waputik Range 2